Making rough bodies shine is what Chris Kuchem does best. But don’t think about bringing him just any vehicle to restore — only collector or exotic cars get his highly skilled attention.

“We combine modern and old school techniques to make our client’s cars just as they want them — from concours correct to modified to customs and hot rods,” reads the description of Kuchem’s shop — Chris’ Garage in Kansas City, Mo. — on Angie’s List.  “We're not a typical ‘collision’ body shop — we don't work on daily driver cars.”

Kuchem began doing car restoration work 40 years ago. This self-taught craftsman got his first car when he was a freshman in high school and did the painting himself to save money. That first car in 1971 was “a horror,” according to Kuchem. His next painting project was an Opel Rallye Kadett, an experience that “turned out fairly good.” From there, friends took notice and began asking for his help.

Throughout high school and college, where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering, Kuchem did paint work on the side to help with expenses. He worked on Mustangs, Camaros, MGs and “everything else that was popular in those days,” he says.

Those days slowly faded away as Kuchem started a successful manufacturing business. This 27-year venture relegated his restoration work mostly to the sidelines until he acquired his dream car — a 1969 Shelby GT-500. This painstaking concours restoration is how he learned the ins and outs of part selection, paint methods and other techniques.

And again: Friends took notice. This time it was a neighbor who owned a 1955 Studebaker. After Kuchem put his finishing touch on the paint job, his neighbor took the newly restored vehicle to a Studebaker swap meet in South Bend, Ind., where it won first in class. In light of this success and at the urging of his friend, Kuchem decided to finally take his love of collector car restoration off the sidelines to start Chris’ Garage.

Since diving in to his newfound profession in 2004, Kuchem’s business has grown by word of mouth. Although Chris’ Garage offers complete restoration service, its real forte is body work.

“We take the body down to the frame and take the car bodies to Evansville [Ind.],” Kuchem says. “The shop there does chemical stripping that takes off all of the paint and rust — inside and out. We then get a completely bare car with nothing on it so we can start from ground zero. We can control everything from that point.”

That level of quality control is evident in the happy reviews left by clients of Chris’ Garage at Angie’s List. One car enthusiast reports that Kuchem “goes out of his way to learn whatever it takes to bring perfection to his subject … [My ’71 Datsun 240 Z] has incredible lines, perfect gaps and a finish that a blind man could shave in.”

Among Kuchem’s favorite projects have been working on Porsches and Studebakers. According to Kuchem, Porsches are remarkable for their unique metal. “You don’t need a sledgehammer to bang out a dent. You can almost use a rubber mallet,” he says. As for Studebakers, he says they are amazingly well put together. “They were far out in front of their competition in the day because of how well they assembled their cars.”